Thread: a newbie with a few questions

Firstly welcome to the forums!

Originally Posted by Rob W

A mate gave me some black-wood from his farm in the Otways. Wow is it hard. Am I trying to bite of more than I can chew at this early stage??

Not really, it will be a good test of patience and your sharpening skills.
BTW if you think BW is hard then you have some treats in store when you do find something hard.

If I were to buy a band saw for general hobby work, what do I look for??

It depends on; do you want to be able to break up larger pieces of timber and small logs into smaller pieces" and do you have plenty of space?
If you answer yes to those then I would recommend getting a larger one - maybe a 16" or even an "18" model.

If you answer no to both of those I would suggest at least a 14" model.
Look for something with a 2HP motor.
Make sure it comes with a Fence

If you have spare $$ look at machines like Hammer. Laguna etc which are in the tier above the basic models supplied by Timbecon/Carbatecj/Hare and Forbes.

Hate to say this because I sound like broken record, but lathes are one of THE most dust making machines in a WW shop, Bandsaws also make quite a bit of dust - what have you got for dust collection

Is it actually Blackwood or you just referring to the color of the wood? Because black wood is generally soft to turn but if your lathing a piece of wood thay jet black you may have some ebony on your hands and if so I be taking that wood off the lathe and saving it until more experienced as that wood is expensive and too good of wood for practicing on

keep on plugging away

Blackwood, Acacia melanoxylon is a beautiful timber but the dust is carcinogenic. Many timbers produce carcinogenic dust and all super-fine dust (the stuff that you don't see, not the chips and shavings) is really bad for your lungs. As BobL says "what have you got for dust collection?" It is really important, especially if you have or develop a sensitivity to a timber. Have a look at a recent Australian Wood Review where Richard Vaughan describes what happened to him with Blackwood.

If the timber is wet you also need to be aware that it can crack as it dries, before or after you turn it, so end-grain sealing is very important.

Apologies for the negative messages. For a more positive note, welcome to the forums and to woodturning. I am only a novice woodturner myself but I find it quite addictive and very satisfying.

For your other questions I agree with BobL's responses.

David

Originally Posted by Xanthorrhoeas

Blackwood, Acacia melanoxylon is a beautiful timber but the dust is carcinogenic. Many timbers produce carcinogenic dust and all super-fine dust (the stuff that you don't see, not the chips and shavings) is really bad for your lungs.

Minor but important point. Since 2005, ALL wood dust has been classified as carcinogenic by the National Institute of Health's Annual report on Cancer.

Originally Posted by BobL

.
BTW if you think BW is hard then you have some treats in store when you do find something hard.


It depends on; do you want to be able to break up larger pieces of timber and small logs into smaller pieces" and do you have plenty of space?
If you answer yes to those then I would recommend getting a larger one - maybe a 16" or even an "18" model.

If you answer no to both of those I would suggest at least a 14" model.
Look for something with a 2HP motor.
Make sure it comes with a Fence

If you have spare $$ look at machines like Hammer. Laguna etc which are in the tier above the basic models supplied by Timbecon/Carbatecj/Hare and Forbes.

Hate to say this because I sound like broken record, but lathes are one of THE most dust making machines in a WW shop, Bandsaws also make quite a bit of dust - what have you got for dust collection

+1 on Bob's advice.

I will also add that for turning I found a quantum increase in usefulness when I went from a BS that could only cut up to 6" depth (ie high) to one that could cut up to 12" depth.

You will get a lot more life out of your BS blades if you don't attempt to cut your blanks on the circle at those depths. In my experience, straight cuts to make octagon blanks works just as well.






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welcome. I see you've met Bob.

This was bob as a kid.

Originally Posted by Rob W

A mate gave me some black-wood from his farm in the Otways. Wow is it hard. Am I trying to bite of more than I can chew at this early stage??

Rob, in all seriousness, welcome to the forum. f the wood looks something like this then its blackwood, and shouldn't be hard. if it doesn't look like this then you have something else on your hand. please try and post a pic

Welcome to the slippery slope Rob!!

Bobble's advice on bandsaws is spot on.

As for Blackwood it can be a bear to turn but the grain is something else.

You will find a number of acacias that are murder on tools due to the silica content.

Originally Posted by Fumbler

This was bob as a kid.

When I was A uni student I spent the summer and other holidays working as a builders labourer on high rise construction in the city.
One of my jobs was demolishing concrete, mainly sections of walls and beams that had been built in the wrong place.
An example of this was to remove 1" of concrete from the tops of all the window frame openings on 7 floors of the then Sheraton (now Pan Pacific) hotel.
The tool of choice was pneumatic jack hammer.
No PPE apart from a hard hat so after about an 10 minutes I looked like that kid above.
That task took me ~5, weeks.
Now you know why I hate dust.

Rob, you haven't told or shown us what your new lathe is. Maybe that is a contributing factor to the difficulty you are having with what you consider is hard wood.
Sharpness of tools also has a huge bearing on how easily the wood is cut.

Welcome to the forum Rob.

Thanks for your helpful hints. Having now learnt to sharpen the tools properly the Blackwood is much easier to turn and i am getting some good results. You're right about the dust, it goes everywhere. Have invested in a good mask but will need to invest in a dust removal system soon.

just one more question if I may. What is the best polish to use on the Blackwood. I have used some standard furniture polish which has come up pretty well but just wanted to know if there is anything in particular I should be looking for.

Originally Posted by Rob W

What is the best polish to use on the Blackwood. I have used some standard furniture polish which has come up pretty well...

I don't know what is best, but I have been using my own version of furniture polish on Blackwood (and most other woods I turn) for many years, which I'm satisfied with.

Mine is a mix of bees wax, carnauba wax, natural turpentine oil and tripoli (rotten stone). Don't breath too much of any polish that contains natural turpentine oil. Wax polishes are quick and easy to use, reasonably durable, but not water resistant, although they will readily polish up again if not deluged in hot water.

Others will have their preferences, like oils and polymers, which you should also try to see what works best for you.